Sharp County record., 1887-04-07

public suffering of a great multitude OF
Gods dear children, pillars OF smoke.
But as We look over the story Of those
who in all ages have suffered for the truth,
while we leave vengeance to the Lord, let
us band together in one solemn VOW, one
tremendous oath, after having counted the
host of the martyrs, that for each one OF
those glorious men and women who dled
for the truth, an immortal soul shall live,
live with God and live forever.
But, as l already hinted in the first SEN
tence of this sermon, nothing can be more
beautiful than the figures OF smoke on
clear sky. You can see what you will IN
the contour of this volatile vapor, now
enchanted castles, now troops OF horse
men, now hammered procession, now
winged couriers, now black angel OF
wrath under a spear of the sunshine
turned to an angel of light, and now from
horizon to horizon the air is a picture gal
lery filled with masterpieces OF which
| God is the artist, morning Clouds OF smoke
born in the sunrise, and evening clouds OF
smoke laid in the FURNISHED sepulchers OF
the sunset.
The beauty of the transfgured smoke is
divine symbol of the beauty Of the church.
The fairest of all the fair is she. DO not
call those prosecutors Of whom spoke the
church. They are the parasites OF the
church, not the church Itself. Her mission
is to cover the earth with a supernatural
gladness; to open all the prison doors; to
balsam all the wounds; to moss all the
graves; to burn up the night in the fire
place of great morning; to change IRON
handouts into diamond WristletS; to turn
the whole race around, and, whereas 1t
faced death, commanding it: Fright about
face for Heaven"
Meet me at any depot The world over,
and with my eyes closed take me by the
hand, and lead me SO that my feet will not
stumble, and without my once looking
down, or looking to the level, take me to
some high roof or tower, and let me see
the tops of the churches, and l Will tell
YOU the proportion of suicides, of arsons,
of murders, of thefts. According as the
churches are numerous are the crimes
few: according as the churches are lew
the crimes are numerous
The most beautiful organization the
worll ever saw or ever will see is the
much-maligued church, the friend OF all
good: the foe Of all evil; fair as the moon
and clear as the sum-" Beautiful in her
Author; beautiful in her mission; the
heroine of the centuries; the bride OF
Christ; the queen of the nations. There
are hundreds of kindly institutions, some
caring for inebriates; some for the GRIP
pied; some for the imbecile; some for the
misled; some for the bind but the church
is the mother of all these kindly instltu-
tions. There are asylums-American or Ell
glish, or Scotch, or Irish, or French, or
German, or Italian-but the church spreads
her mantle over all these, and will yet
spread it over all nations. Her gates are
beautiful; her songs are beautiful; her
PRAYERS are beautiful; her conVOcatlonS
are beautiful; her work is beautiful. All
Kings and warriors will yet bow down at
her affairs: all chains of serfdOm be shat
tered against her doorstep; all nations will
vet follow her leading. How amiable are
THY tabernaclesl How sacred Thy affairs
How glorious Thy auditOriumsl SO grace
full, so aspiring, so grand and rolling on
and rolling on, we cry out in regard to her:
"Who is this that cometh out OF the wilder
ness like pillars of spoke"
Men may desecraSe it, as Cromwell did
when he stabbed his cavalry horses III ST.
Paup5 cathedral; or break off the image
of Christ, as did the ic0nOclasts in York
minister; orhurl against it august literary
antipathies as did GbbOn; or plot its over
throw, as do some in every community
whose pride and hate and debauchery are
reproved by the ten commandments which
it thunders, and the sermon on the mount
which it breathes. But it will stand as
long as the earth stands the same
unique and wonder-Working and be-
attic and miraculous thing for which
God decreed it.
You lying and hypocritical world, shut
up those ISLANDERS about the church of
Christ, an institution which, tar from be-
ing what it ought to be, and never pre-
tending to be perfect, is five hundred
times better than any other institution
that the world ever saw or dreamed Of.
| The highest honor ! have ever had, and
the highest honor shall ever receive, and
the highest honor | ever want is to have
my name on her records as member. AT
her affairs repented. At her sacraments
| | believed. In her service let me die.
From her doors let me be buried. o,
church of God Thou home Of the righteous
Thou harbor from tempest! Thou refuge
for the wearyl Thou lighthouse of many
nations! Thou type of Heavenl l could
kiss thy very dust with ecstasy OF aifec-
ton.
For her my tears shall ial,
For her my prayers ascend,
no hpr nv tolls and cares be given
Till tolls and cares shall end"
"Perfumed smoba,n says Solomon, in
the words following my text Not like the
fumes coughcd up from the throat of a
steam pipe, or poisoned with the gases of
chemical factories, or floating in black
wrath from the confagrations of home
steads, or sulphurous from blazing batter
les: but sweet as burning grove of CHINA
mon, or Jungle of sassairas or the odors Of
n temple censer "Who is this that cometh
out of the Wilderness like pillars of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense"'
Hear it, men and women everywhere, that
the advance of the genuine church OF
Christ means peace for all nations.
Victor Hugo, in his book entitled ''Nine-
ty Three" says: Nothing calmer than
smoke, but nothing more startling. There
are peaceful smokes, and there are evil
ones. The thickness and color OF a line
of smoke make the whole difference be-
tween war and peace, between fraternity
and hatred. The whole happiness OF man
CT his complete misery is sometimes ex-
pressed in this thin vapor which the wind
,,t,YNn.a